The Motion Picture Studio Insider (1935)

Motion Pi tore Studio Insider April. 1937 ACROSS THE ROOF OF A WORLD ( Continued from page 15) more interesting than the mute stories we found imprisoned in the rocks of earlier geologic eras. Because those stories were but crumbling bones and fossils from which we could reconstruct forms of life; the natives, on the other hand, were living human beings whose life we could live and record day by day. “It is such pictures that I want to make and make available for modern audiences. Because in effect, it trans¬ ports them back through the interven¬ ing spans of time, and transplants them in other ages and environments. This to me, is one of the prime functions of educational motion pictures — to give authentic information about other peo¬ ples and lands. “I want to go back to that country and film the caravans wending their tedious way across from Kalgan to Urga, and beyond into Southern Siberia and Eastern Turkestan. I want to pro¬ duce the story of the nomadic natives against that background and bring to modern light their beliefs and customs, half as old perhaps as time itself.” Mr. Shackelford’s eyes glowed with a zealous flame as he revealed his most cherished dream, a dream that has been frustrated for years past because of tbe unsettled political conditions obtaining there since the days of Russian pene¬ tration into Outer Mongolia. All Amer¬ ican exploration has been stopped and he has been unable to get permission from the governments involved to go in. “I also want to make a pictorial study of their religion, as mysterious and inscrutable, and as awe-inspiring in its color and pageantry as anything on this planet. It is all-pervading in its influence on their daily lives, and would be a revelation if shown to civilized peoples.” Ti me and time again during the years that he was there, Mr. Shackelford film¬ ed native rites, filmed the exterior of their temples and their holy places. But though he was allowed in the in¬ teriors of these many times, he was un¬ able to photograph any events there. “With the flashlight equipment that we had at that time, we would have burned the churches to the ground,” he said. “Paper prayer wheels and pray¬ er scripts fluttered from every available inch on both walls and ceilings, dingy hangings that had been there for per¬ haps generations, and to attempt using light powder would have been too haz¬ ardous, even if it had been allowed. “I believe that we could eventually obtain permission from the lamas now, however, if we went about it right,” he continued. “I always found them very tractable, and if once they were con¬ vinced of one’s sincere interest, they usually would cooperate. “And with modern electrical equip¬ ment we could make available scenes which few Caucasian eyes have ever viewed. Likewise it would be of in¬ tense interest to the anthropologist and the philosopher who seek the seeds of the present in the musty archives of the past. “Pictures of the daily lives of these people as they migrate from place to place following their flocks in accord with season and pasturage would also greatly facilitate our understanding of our own early ancestors, who, centuries ago, lived similar migratory lives." “Shack” with a wild ass he roped on the desert. His enthusiasm for these pictures that he wanted to make carried us away from those he had made while in the Gobi with the Andrews excursions, “on the trail of ancient man.” But our query as to difficulties then encounter¬ ed brought him back. “My job was to take pictures of finds as they were made, of the daily activi¬ ty and progress of the expeditions them¬ selves, and to help as I could in the ac¬ tual exploration work. It was neither hard nor dangerous,” he minimized. “We were of course handicapped to a degree by not being able to carry as much equipment with us as we might have liked, but otherwise it wasn’t dif¬ ficult.” “Motion picture films were packed in hermetically sealed containers and shipped back to laboratories in the States to be developed and printed. while the still pictures were finished right in the field. “Of course,” he continued, “if we had stayed out there in the winter time, we might have had lots of trouble, because the temperature quite often falls to six¬ ty degrees below zero, and under those conditions, one would have to use an artificially heated camera, such as was used filming Mt. Everest a few years ago. But the summers, while hot, were not humid, and humidity is the worst foe we have to combat with films. “In the jungles of the islands in the South Seas, where I went after return¬ ing from the Gobi, quite often the at¬ mosphere was so humid the emulsion would slip right off the film, leaving only a blank, perhaps, after days of labor. “Our greatest trouble in the Gobi desert was in protecting our equipment from the violent sand storms that would swirl without warning down upon us from across the yellow plains. “I remember one in particular at Shabarakh Usu, in ’26. All was calm and quiet at our camp. Each one was busy at his appointed task, when sud¬ denly we heard the wind, howling in an intolerable crescendo — and the smoth¬ ering, saffron cloud was upon us. Strik¬ ing with the violence of exploding shrapnel, it tore our tents to ribbons, scattered camp equipment over the deso¬ late countryside, and for an hour kept us fighting for our very lives, literally having to chew the air we breathed. Then its hundred mile an hour velocity swept it past us, and we were able to dig out of the wreckage! “Naturally it drove sand into every working part of my cameras, and I had to spend days cleaning them up before I could shoot again. “This particular storm was the most violent one that we experienced during the four years that we were out there, but there were others nearly as bad at Tuerin and at Ulu Usu, that same year. But, beyond discomfort and dam¬ age to equipment, the sand-laden hur¬ ricanes caused little actual harm. All such conditions had been expected and prepared for prior to departure.” More queries brought more details of the arduous journeys, but, “Why not let the pictures speak for themselves; they tell the story of the people and the country much more truly than words?” he asked. And so we will. But in closing, let it suffice to say that the man who took them, while returning to civilization on occasion, does it only to prepare for another foray into the fastnesses “be¬ yond the ranges,” and we can only hope that when he next returns he will bring more such pictures as we show here¬ with.